Refrigerating apparatus



Fel 22, 1938 B. J. VANDOREN REFRIGERATING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet l4Filed Jan. 25, 1935 lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllINVENTOR, Esame rf lmpara/Y.'

. BYv l H/s ATTORNEYS.

Feb. 22, 1'938. B. J. vANDoREN l REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 23,1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MWI 4,@ nu WVM. u .fm mb, NM .NW mi 1M m M/WWW/ N\NW. un B "Jawmw 1P k uw man. em.\ mwN. CN fl um; l wx 51%.. \N.\ Q A. m/Nu. mv.

//S ATTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Bernard J.Vandoren, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton,Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application January 23, 1935, Serial No.3,121

i 2 Claims. (Cl. 6289.5)

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and particularly tomechanically refrigerated cabinets of the display or showcase type.

One of the objects of the invention is` to provide an improved method ofcooling the interior of, and food productsvstored in, a refrigeratorcabinet having a plurality of transparent walls.

Another object of the presenty invention is to provide a refrigeratorcabinet of the display or showcase type in which the food productsstored therein are visible from the exterior of the cabinet while at thesame time being isolated from air circulated over a cooling element orevapoemployed description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearlyshown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a refrigerator cabinet of thevdisplay type having my invention embodied therein;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the cabinet taken on the lines2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View of the cabinetv shown in Fig. 1 andtaken on the lines 3-3 thereof disclosing a refrigerating systemdiagrammaticallyV connected with a cooling element installed in thecabinet. v'Referring to the drawings, for the purpose of illustratingthe invention, there is shown in Fig. 1 thereof a refrigerator cabinetgenerally designated by the reference character I0. The cabinet Ill isof the so-called display orshowcase variety in which food products suchas meats, iish, etc., are refrigerated while being displayed for saleand which cabinet may be supported upon any suitable display orsupporting device indicated 0 at II. It is well-known that such cabinetsusu'- ally include a plurality of windows or transparent glass throughwhich the food products may be viewed. In the present disclosure thecabinet I0 includes a chamber formed by an insulated bottom wall I2, aback wall I3. a front wall I4. top

invention will be apparent from the following the bottom of the cabinet.

wall I5 and end walls I6 and I'I respectively. The back wall I3 ofcabinet I0 includes a vertically extending non-transparent insulatedwall portion I8 and an inclined portion I9 having the transparentwindows 20 either pivotally or slidably secured to cabinet IIJ to affordaccess to thefood compartment 2I. The front wall of cabinet Ill issimilar to thev rear Wall I3 thereof and includes a non-transparentinsulated vertical portion 22 and an inclined insulated wall portion 23comprising a plurality of spaced apart and stationarily mountedtransparent glass plate members 24 extending substantially throughoutthe length of the cabinet. Top wall I5 of cabinet I6 also comprises aplurality of spaced apart and members 25 extending 'substantiallythroughout the length of the cabinet. The method of mount'- ing thetransparent glass plates 24 and 25 and spacing same apart so that theyform a dead air or insulating space therebetween is well-known to thoseskilled in the 'art of providing a transparent insulated cabinet wallsection. 'I'he food storage compartment 2| provided in the charn-`berformed by the cabinet Walls is isolated from a passage which extendsentirely around the cabinet parallel to and adjacent certainWallsthereof in which passage an evaporator or cooling unit 21 of arefrigerating system is disposed. The evaporator 21 is adapted to coolair Within the passage and a fan or blower device 28 may be employed forcausinga positive circulation of air over th e evaporator and aroundcertain walls of compartment 2I. A refrigerated air passage 29 adjacentthe cabinet bottom wall I2 is formed by a plate member 30 and extendsentirely across The loops or turns of the conduit forming the evaporator2'l of the refrigerating system are secured to the plate member 30. Thisplate member 30 is spaced by the angle iron members 3| a suitabledistance from the surface of the bottom wall I2 of cabinet I0 so as toprovide an air circulating zone below compartment 2| and the evaporator21 in passage 29. lThe cabinet bottom wall I2 is depressed as at 32 toprovide space in the passage 29 for the Ymounting of a motor 33,utilized for operating the blower or fan 28, and for positioning asuitable means to control ilovv` of refrigerant to the evaporator. 1twiube nted (see Figa) that the passage 29 formed by the plate 30 and theangle iron members 3| extends over substantially the full length andwidth of the cabinet I0. At the ends I6 and II of cabinet III I provideupright Vplate members 34 and 35 respectively lil) ' from the innersurface of the cabinet 'walls I6 and I1 to form the vertical passages 31and 38. 'I'he lower ends of the plate members 34 and 35 may be securedto the plate 30 and the upper ends thereof may be secured at the top ofthe cabinet I to the inner lining of the cabinet to seal the passages 31and 38 in communicative relation with the passage 29. The passages 31and 38 may be of the same configuration as the ends |6 and I1 of cabinetI0 and the members 34l and 35 forming same are Aprovided at the topthereof with a plurality of openings formed by perforating the platemembers 34 and 35 as indicated at 4|. Below the transparent .glassplates 25 located in and forming the top insulated wall I of cabinet I0I mount a pair of transparent glass plates42 which are stationarilysecured in spaced apart relation and sealed at their edges in anysuitable manner well-known to those l skilled in the art. The spacebetween these glass element or evaporator 21.

plates 42 provides or forms the passage 43 and this passage communicatesat its ends with the passages 31 and 38 by means of the openings formedby the reticuiations or perforations 4| in the members 34 and 35. Theinclined portion 23 of front wall I4 f cabinet Ill-is also provided witha passage which extends the length thereof adjacent the glass platemembers 24. I mount a pair of transparent glass plates 45 which aresecured in spacedapart relation and sealed at their edges, in anysuitable and Well-known manner, to provide the passage 46. Passage 46 isadjacent and parallel to the inner glass plate 24 and extends throughoutsubstantially the full length of the cabinet I0. The ends-of passage 46communicate with the vertical passages 31 and 38 by means Aof openings,formed by perforated portions 41,

passages are formed by the transparent glass' plates 42 and 45.

The refrigerating system connectedJ to the evaporator 21 includes acompressor 5| (see Fig. 3) which compresses the refrigerant. of theigefrigerating system and forwards the compressed refrigerant through aconduit 52 to a condenser 53 which is cooled in any suitable andwell-known manner. Cooling of the condenser causes the compressedrefrigerant to be liquefied and the liquid refrigerant is collected inthe receiver 54.`

Liquid refrigerant is forwarded from receiver 54 through the supplyconduit 55 to the cooling Liquid refrigerant in evaporator 21 vaporizes,because of the absorption of heat from the refrigerator cabinet I0, andis returned to or drawn into the compressor 5| through the refrigerantreturn con-` duit 5 6. An electric motor 51, connected through asuitable belt and pulley means 58 is e loyed for driving the compressor5I. Operation f the electric motor 51 and compressor 5I connectedtherewith is controlled by a switch means 59'actuated by changes inpressurein the -low pressure portion of the refrigerating system. Theflow of refrigerant to evaporator 21 is controlled by an expansion valve.or device 6I interposed in the conduit 55 which leads to evaporator 21.The valve or device 6| is actuated by pressure in a thermostatic bulb62mounted on and responsive to the temperature of the outlet conduit 56leading from the evaporator; The valve 6| stops flow of refrigerant toevaporator 21 when the temperature of the evaporator reaches apredetermined low limit and the switch 53 will thereafter open thecircuit to motor51 to stop operation of the motor and compressor 5I.

The fan or blower 28, located inthe passage 29, provided in the cabinetI8, is employed t0 cause forced circulation of air from passage 23 topassage 35 and through the passages 45A and 46 to passage 31 and thenceback to the inlet end of passage 29 and over the evaporator 21. Themotor33 employed to operate fan 28 may be connected with a source ofelectrical supply through the switch means 53 so as to operate only whenthe refrigerating apparati operates or it may be connected with thesource of electrical supply so as to operate continuously. If desired atemperature responsive switch or a manually actuated switch may beprovided in the power line leading to the fan motor 33 for automaticallyor manually controlling its operation. In either event it is to beunderstood that the fan 28 forces the air, cooled by the refrigeratingeffect produced by evaporator 21, across and parallel tofcertain wallsof the refrigerator cabinet I0, through the passages enumerated, to coolthe entire interior of the food compartment 2| by conduction throughtheinner walls of the passages. 'I'he outer -walls of the air passagesabout the cabinet walls pick up heat tending to enter the cabinet anddissipate this heat to the cold air in the passage which in turn givesup heat to the evaporator-` 21 from where it is carried away from thecabinet I0 by the refrigerating system. 'I'he passages 23, 35, 43, 46and 31 are constructed and arranged to prevent the air cooled by theevaporator 21 and circulated 'by the fan 28 from entering the foodstorage compartment 2| of cabinet ||l. The refrigerated air', which isdried by its circulation over the evaporator 21 in the well-knownmanner, does not come in contact with food products stored in thecompartment 2| of the cabinet and therefore this dry air cannot causedehydration of the products. The compartment 2| and food products storedtherein are refrigerated by conduction of cold, produced by theevaporator 21, through the metal ,plate 30 which forms the bottom. wallof comvided adjacent and along transparent walls or windows thereof forpreventing the transference of heat therethrough to the food compartmentwithout impairing the visibility of food products in the compartment.'Ihe provision of the cold air passages in the walls of myimproveddisplay cabinet or showcase causes air within the isolated foodcompartment to circulate and the formation of warm air pockets or zonesin the upper portion o f the food compartment is prevented. The movementof air within the isolated food compartment insures that products storedtherein will be uniformly cooled.

While the formof embodiment ofthe invention as herein disclosed,constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims whichfollow. What is claimed is as follows:

.'1. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a cabinethaving a plurality of insulated Walls'forming a chamber therein, meanscooperating with said walls to form a food stor- `age compartment Withinsaid chamber, said means being constructed and arranged to extend to hetraversed by air flowing around saidJcompartment in said closed path offlow the e'for.

2. A refrigerating apparatus comp ising in combination, a cabinet havinga plurality of insulated walls forming a chamber therein, at least aportion of one of said cabinet walls being transparent, meanscooperating with said walls to form a food storage compartment withinsaid chamber, said means being -constructed and arranged to extendcontinuously around at least four sides of said-food compartment, saidmeans providing a closed path for .the ow `of air around saidcompartment and having a portion thereof forming a support for foodadapted to be stored in said compartment, said means also including atransparent portion disposed' adjacent to and in alignmentwith saidtransparent portion of said one cabinet wall, a cooling element of arefrigerating system positioned in said chamber and isolated -by saidmeans from the interior of said compartment, and said cooling elementextending along and lying against the food supporting portion of saidmeans and being arranged in position to be traversed by air flowingaround said compartment in said closed path of ilow therefor.

BERNARD J. VANDOREN.

